Sandman XI Posted April 19, 2009 Posted April 19, 2009 When Victoria asks her question, Wesley's aura flickers between baby pink and baby blue as she tries once more to change back. The pink aura wins the battle. Try as she might, she can't seems to find the right order of things. Sighing, she shakes her head glumly at Victoria.
Avenger Assembled Posted April 19, 2009 Posted April 19, 2009 Avenger replied with a volcanic epithet, her furious pacing showing off the tight way her black leather uniform clung to every inch of her body. It was increasingly obvious that Avenger's new costume was designed to inculcate sex appeal as much as terror. Even now, through tone of voice and look of murder in baby blues just visible beneath her mask, Avenger shone menace as much as sex. "Need time to investigate," she finally said, having evidently mastered herself enough to speak. "Contacts will respond whatever I look like. Best if I work alone. Especially now."
Ecalsneerg Posted April 19, 2009 Author Posted April 19, 2009 "Yes, quite," quipped Geckolass. "In your current barely controlled rage, we should definitely let you go off on your own. And talk in short sentences. Really angrily. Like this. Until you snap and hurt someone, and I'm not having your stupidity on my conscience." She turned to the Doktor. "How close is your lab? I can call in an airship to take us there if it's too far."
Avenger Assembled Posted April 19, 2009 Posted April 19, 2009 The next thing Geckolass knew, Avenger was standing behind her, smelling of a soft, delicate perfume, breath mints, and blood as her hand clapped down on the smaller crime-fighter's shoulder. "Be very grateful I know how to control myself, little man," she hissed in the teenager's ear. To Viktoria, she said, "Have traded information through Scarab, I believe. Will meet you at your lab." And with that, Avenger was gone, disappearing into the night behind them with casual ease.
Hellbound Posted April 19, 2009 Posted April 19, 2009 "Dude... er, dame's got a lot on her mind." Hellbroad shrugged. Even for Avenger, this was a little on edge. He was normally a bit on the psychopathic side, but there was clearly more bugging him now than how good he looked in that outfit. Not that Hellbroad had anything to worry about, no. Though she might not be winning any beauty contests she was pretty sure she had the advantage on the next Miss Universe. The boots were finally coming under her control. It'd only taken some practice while the others decided what to do next, plus a little help from the anti-grav module in her wings. Now, her body floated with a fraction of the weight she normally put on her feet and that made balancing a heck of a lot easier. Just not being so top-heavy was a plus. Of course, that led to some interesting, gravity defying antics from certain new body parts she'd recently acquired. That wasn't so bad. She'd always preferred them to be perky, anyway. "So, look. I got nothing right now. I'm good for hitting people, and do you see anyone right here to hit? No. I sure don't. So that means I have a choice of finding an amateur night at some strip club for extra cash, or we all go hang out and wait to hear back from She'ger. Either way, I'm starting to get bored with this alley. So how about we get the show on the road, yeah?"
Ecalsneerg Posted April 19, 2009 Author Posted April 19, 2009 A look of utter fear crossed Geckolass' face as the crazy woman threatened her, her knees visibly knocking. However, she regained some composure in time to carry on speaking. "Ooooo... k-kay. Right, n-now, that we've all ignored a p-perfectly good opportunity to m-make a 'running away like a little girl' j-joke..." Geckolass pulled out a remote and pressed a button. "Does anyone need a ride or something? Just to let you know, no smoking or crazy people claiming to be s-superheroes."
Hellbound Posted April 20, 2009 Posted April 20, 2009 "Does anyone need a ride or something? Just to let you know, no smoking or crazy people claiming to be s-superheroes." Hellbroad sent a command through some of her still-new flight instincts and shook her large, black wings out dramatically. "Hey, I didn't take a ride on Archeville's spew-mobile just for a new fashion accessory. I'm cool. 'Just hope they're new enough that none of my fan boys will recognize me mid-flight. Pictures of this get out on the internet and I'll never live it down."
Cyroa Posted April 20, 2009 Posted April 20, 2009 White Star shook her head. "I can provide transport to anywhere as well. But what is our plan? I can try my contacts though they will take some convincing that I'm 'me' given the...changes. But it's worth a shot. Doctor? Any chance you can create something that will reverse this? I'll still do what I can to find out about this guy though." As soon as she finished, White Star was going to go and do what should could to track down this annoying gender-switcher. And really, what kind of a weapon is that??? In the meantime while waiting for an answer or a plan, White Star extended her senses outward, looking for any clue left behind by the exploding Barbie.
Dr Archeville Posted April 22, 2009 Posted April 22, 2009 ... I think I'm in love. Dude! That's Avenger. ... Dammit! I hate you, Doc Otaku! Victoria Archeville was again stunned at Avenger's... existence for a moment, but quickly recovered. "I should be able to reverse dis, if ve can salvage someding of de original veapon for me to study," she finally said. She saw White Star had apparently already started doing so. "Vhat do you find?" "Other than minor damage from people hitting things, the blast did very little property damage to anything else. And I don't detect any trace of the android's remains." Victoria's left eye twitched. "Mein laboratory is in Hanover," she said through gritted teeth.
Hellbound Posted April 22, 2009 Posted April 22, 2009 Hellbroad knew where that was located and seemed to be in a hurry to get there. Soon the semi-levitating tart was fully airborne and taking winds underneath her wings. "Word of warning!" She called down to the other victims of this rather odd joke. "If Ark says anything about checking you for neural damage and tries to strap you into a machine...? Run."
Cyroa Posted April 22, 2009 Posted April 22, 2009 White Star nodded her head. "Hanover it is. Anyone else need a lift?" Baring significant anomalies, I can have there in...about 20 or 30 seconds if you want to want to see the sights on the way. With good direction, maybe 2 or 3 seconds if we just want to, ya know, get there and get our normal bodies back! Anyone who needs a lift to the her place, gather close." As soon as everyone was close enough, he reached out and lifted the group. With a flash, he headed for the Doctors. He had no intention of taking the scenic route!
Dr Archeville Posted April 30, 2009 Posted April 30, 2009 Hey, whoa, WHOA! We can't take them into our home! And why not? That's where all our stuff is! Besides, we don't have a hangar where Geckolass can park her airship. We shall make do. Victoria Archeville had Geckolass take her in the Pitchoo to her home in Hanover. Along the way she asked many questions about the airship: what sort of propulsion system and fuel it used, what it was made of, about all its features, and several other questions a super-gadgeteer would be expected to ask about a piece of tech she was just now getting a close look at. Very soon they were in Hanover, in amongst a block of plain and unassuming (though very modern) housing units, the type which had sprung up all over Hanover over the past few years. Archeville pointed Gecko towards one house in particular, which looked much like any other perfectly normal house. "Here ve are," she said as she took out her Eletromagnetic Lipstick, "just give me a moment to open von of de skylights for you."
Hellbound Posted April 30, 2009 Posted April 30, 2009 Nobody had ever told Hellbroad just how difficult it was to navigate while flying a few hundred feet above the city. Birds did it all the time, true, and the wings had programmed much of their flight instincts into her peripheral nervous system, but unless she wanted to fly south for the winter that wasn't much help. All of the landmarks she'd normally use to get around were gone. Well, not gone but they were so far away as to be useless. Everything looked different from this angle and it was far easier to get lost than she'd have expected. If it weren't for seeing Geckolass' ship hovering over what seemed to be the proper section of town then she might still be flying around in circles. Though Hellbroad found that to be a far more pleasant experience than walking on high-heeled boots. Even though she'd been the first to take to the air, and her flight speed should have easily gotten her to the house in minutes, she wasn't actually arriving until Victoria was opening her skylight.
Ecalsneerg Posted April 30, 2009 Author Posted April 30, 2009 Victoria Archeville had Geckolass take her in the Pitchoo to her home in Hanover. Along the way she asked many questions about the airship: what sort of propulsion system and fuel it used, what it was made of, about all its features, and several other questions a super-gadgeteer would be expected to ask about a piece of tech she was just now getting a close look at. Very soon they were in Hanover, in amongst a block of plain and unassuming (though very modern) housing units, the type which had sprung up all over Hanover over the past few years. Archeville pointed Gecko towards one house in particular, which looked much like any other perfectly normal house. "Well, I didn't build it, so most of what I know comes down to my theories, and those of this really really smart guy I know called Darian? Oh, you've met him? Good with techie stuff? Awesome. Anyway, the ship has never had to be refuelled, so it's either self-sustaining or using a renewable source readily available simply by leaving it parked in cloud cover. Not sure what specifically powers it. The propulsion seems not to be downthrust of air, but rather an upthrust of airship, if you catch my meaning. Darian says it's a primitive anti-gravity mechanism, essentially turning acceleration of the ship from gravity's weight pressing it down, to whatever it needs to be to go up, down or level out. The computer's also pretty nifty, although it was basic when I... inherited the ship. It can take over the ship using basic functions if I program it, and it also operates the remote flight capability, which is slightly more fluid. Really, it flies best when I'm at the wheel," rattled on Geckolass, praying the Doktor didn't catch on to her ignorance of who built the ship. "I mean, had I been forced to remotely fly it into this roof, you'd have a whole new skylight. I hear that's a must-have in property now." And with that, Avenger was gone, disappearing into the night behind them with casual ease. A quick word with a few contacts reveals that several figures, dressed in conspicuous greatcoats and low-brimmed hats, have been asking the homeless if they've seen local superheroes. One was questioned not far from the street the android was found. It's possible that superheroes had been targetted to use the ray on deliberately. However, payment was in cash and no further details had been given.
Cyroa Posted April 30, 2009 Posted April 30, 2009 White Star flew to the Doctor's with ease, sliding on through. She looked around the place without her eyes, getting a 'feel' for it. Finally, she turned to the Doctor. "Unless you need me, I'm going to see if I can contact some associates. Maybe get a lead on the villain behind this. If you need me, a radio signal at this frequency will also reach me." He provided the frequency and prepared to depart.
Avenger Assembled Posted May 1, 2009 Posted May 1, 2009 The investigation was a frustrating one. Avenger took the liberty of slaking her bloodlust in the Fens. It was a painful, palpable effort to wait until she saw the commission of an ongoing crime; the urge to feed and rend and kill to satisfy her horror at the violation of her body was very strong indeed. But Jack kept things together despite a bloodlust he hadn't felt since not long after he'd been brought over, dragging a helpless mugger into a dark alley and beating the man into an unconscious heap before burying her fangs into the man's neck and feasting. In the mirror of a sleazy gas station bathroom afterwards, Jack stared at herself in the mirror as she wiped her pale skin clean of blood. Look at me. Just look at me. With any luck, she'd never know how close she'd come with Geckolass. And with any luck, they'd never come that close again. Despite an urge to flee, to stay away, Jack wasn't stupid; he knew that the only salvation he was going to find was with other superheroes. When she was sure she could control herself in the presence of others, even if they taunted her or made her life more difficult, Avenger gathered herself up and began the trip to Hanover.
Avenger Assembled Posted May 6, 2009 Posted May 6, 2009 Upon arrival at Doc Archeville's place, Avenger was confronted with the difficulties of a closed door. The stealthiest person in the world couldn't enter through a sealed door, and she was sure that Doc Archeville had installed some sort of sensors around the door she didn't understand. Science wasn't something Jack really followed, not enough to deal with it in a comfortable, honest way. Besides, she reminded herself, in the current situation, they needed to do something as a gesture of trust. Despite a powerful innate reluctance, Jack knocked on Archeville's door.
Dr Archeville Posted May 7, 2009 Posted May 7, 2009 I don't like this! Which part? The 'being a woman' part, or the 'letting lots of heroic people into our home' part? Both! Tough. "Darian? Darian Cale? Ja, I do know him! Fine lad, quite intelligent, dough a bit... misguided in certain dings." Victoria was quiet as Geckolass explained the details of her ship, nodding at certain parts and glancing around the ship as the pilot talked. "Probably solar powered, dough perhaps... no... vell, maybe...." She seemed lost in thought a moment, but quickly snapped back, "Young man... er, voman... er, vhatever -- I vould very much like to examine your ship, vhen dings aren't so... hectic." Victoria continued to study over the ship as they made their way to her home. "Dere should be just enough room in de back yard for you to land," she said on arrival, pointing to the yard of a plain and unassuming two-story house. The back of his house was quite unremarkable. A sliding glass door was blocked by several trash cans. "Valk dis vay, please," she said as she lead them to the front of the house (looking back to see if Geckolass was doing an Igor impression). Eight lawn gnomes flanked the small path leading form the sidewalk to Archeville's front door. Everyone got the feeling the gnomes were looking at them... but that was just a trick of the light, right? Victoria seemed to have some trouble with the door, judging by the eerily soft stream of German cursing coming from her. A scowl and a wave of her Electromagnetic Lipstick later, and the door was open Victoria (grumbling under her breath the whole way) lead the group down numerous hallways, each with numerous doors leading to large rooms; clearly the place wa bigger inside than outside. At last she lead them to a cellar, stocked with enough barrels of beer and bottles of liquor to stock two German drinking halls; dog-sized spider-shaped robots tended to them. She pulled on a series of taps, and one wall slid open, revealing a huge laboratory/workshop beyond, with dozens of workstations holding any and all manner of experiments and projects. A massive pillar, covered in monitor screens showing an assortment of news reports and experimental readouts, dominated the center. "Right, first dings first," she spun around and was holding a syringe in her left hand, and a specimen cup in her left, "I am going to need blood und urine samples from each of you." *** He began investigating the samples he was able to take -- Hellbroad's blood proved somewhat difficult to sample, and it was eventually decided to skip sampling of White Star at this point -- but about halfway through his investigation, an alarm alerted him of a knock at his front door. He slipped a bluetooth headset over one ear.... Avenger approached the plain and unassuming two-story house, nestled among other equally plain and unassuming two-story houses dotting this residential section of Hanover. The small path leading from the sidewalk to Archevillle's front door was flanked by gaily-painted garden gnomes, four on each side. Each stood about a foot and a half tall, with blue shirts and red pointy hats. As Avenger made his way to the door, he almost thought he saw a pair turn towards him, but when he looked at them they were still as statues. The front windows were all obscured by what appeared to be thick and heavy curtains. The door opened quietly after Avenger knocked, seemingly of its own accord; he did not hear any locks clicking open or chains sliding. The room beyond was fairly dark... but to his unholy nightvision, he saw much. Outside, the house seemed to be a completely ordinary light gray two-story housing unit, the sort that's sprung up all over Hanover in the past few years. Inside, it was quite nicely decorated, with beautifully stained wood paneling along the walls and a tiled floor depicting an odd mandala-like design. Three hallways lead off from the entryway, left, right, and straight ahead. As he looked around, Avenger saw a sparkling chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The ceiling which was far too high for the building, based on the exterior dimensions. Come to think of it, this entryway alone seemed big enough to take up half the house.... Then the robotic gorilla trundled into view, emerging from a concealed closet between the left and central staircases. It wore a butler's tuxedo. "This way, please," it said in an electronically-distorted version of Archeville's voice. It lead him through several hallways, down to the beer cellar, where the concealed door re-opened to let her in. "Ah, glad to see you decided to join us, Avenger," Victoria (from a workstation) and the gorilla (from behind Avenger) said in unison. Victoria removed the headset from her ear, and the lights dimmed in the robo-gorila's eye a bit; it then trundled off. "I'm going to need some of your blood und urine. Dere's a bathroom you can use to your left."
Hellbound Posted May 7, 2009 Posted May 7, 2009 The Hellbroad had seen it all before. Though Doc's house might be impressive, this wasn't her first encounter with its dimensional games. Granted, if she had a clue as to the science required behind such feats then she might be more impressed, but as it were the heroine really only wanted to get out of the leather-wedgie that someone decided would be part of her new costume. It'd been just after she had her own official look picked out, at that. This was really her first time out in the leathers, ones she hadn't picked up at the thrift store specifically, and now she didn't even get to show them off. Well... technically she was showing them off, but that's not what she'd meant to be showing off. They weren't really even hers to show off, but someone had decided to give them to her anyway and now people could see her showing them off from several blocks away. And by that point she wasn't referring to the costume. As Archville handed over the urine cup, Hellbroad wondered how she was supposed to aim. Granted, getting a sample of her blood to not burn up before it could be analyzed was going to be a good trick in itself, but at least she wasn't the one who had to worry about it. By the time she was finished in the bathroom, the cup was a warm and wet mess. Though Hellbroad did at least assure Victoria that it'd been washed off afterwards. "Just figure this all out before someone has to invent asbestos tampons, okay?"
Cyroa Posted May 7, 2009 Posted May 7, 2009 White Star followed along, doing her best to not use her senses to peek beyond what she could see. The Doctor deserved her privacy after all. Still, curiosity is a hard thing to control and it occupied her fully as they came to the secret lab. "Ah...since don't have either, gravitic energy being what it is, what's plan B? Any other way we can track down the changes and how to reverse them. I do hate just sitting here doing nothing."
Dr Archeville Posted May 7, 2009 Posted May 7, 2009 I really don't like having that one around, s/he can look in anywhere! Except into the few lead-lined areas. No, wait, it's not x-rays s/he uses, it's... something else. Exactly! Wait, didn't s/he tell us s/he can.... "I haff been dinking about at, Herr... Frau... Star. Did you not tell me, vhen ve first met, dat you can revert to your original flesh-und-blood human form?"
Cyroa Posted May 7, 2009 Posted May 7, 2009 She shrugged her shoulders and her lips frowned a little. She kind of hemmed and hawed a little. "Well, technically, yes. I seldom do it anymore though. It takes hours for me to try and pull in and contain all the energy. It just isn't me anymore. Not to mention I'm very breakable when I'm the way I was." She shrugged. "I suppose I could if necessary. I just don't see how it'd help. I'd much rather be out looking for the jerk who started this whole mess."
Avenger Assembled Posted May 7, 2009 Posted May 7, 2009 "Suggest you take samples from those who can offer it, said Avenger firmly. She was calmer now than when she'd left, but still prowled the room like a caged cat, cape behind her swishing as she walked. "Otaku affected variety of individuals and types. Very strange. Very puzzling." Inside, Avenger was thinking how very little she actually knew about science. "If he cannot be found, suggest we draw him out. Perhaps with public statement? Burning of rare anime? And then, we acquire treatment for condition."
Hellbound Posted May 7, 2009 Posted May 7, 2009 "They actually have rare anime?" The Hellbroad asked. She wouldn't have expected that. There was, of course, the awareness of a strong and nerdly following, but as far as precious media? That wwas a new one on her. She rubbed her arm where Archeville had managed to take the blood sample. Bruising had faded quickly, but she wasn't used to have things simply pierce her skin like that. Less than painful, the sensation had certainly been uncomfortable. To make matters even worse, he'd ended up having to make several attempts before coming up with the idea of a vacuum sealed, titanium allow syringe. With no oxygen available and made of a very heat-resistant material, the implement had finally taken from her what no other doctor had managed before. "Anybody know why he did this?" She asked further. "What? Was it supposed to be a joke? A test? Just messing with our lives? What sort of freak is this Otaku guy, anyway? "And if it's a test, is he watching us right now?" She kind of hoped that he was. With the brainpower they had in the room, there was a good chance that someone would be able to figure out how he was doing it and then track the signal back to his lair.
Ecalsneerg Posted May 7, 2009 Author Posted May 7, 2009 Geckolass hadn't been bothered by the needle. In fact, it had been so small a hole that she'd felt the wound start healing just before the needle was pulled out. Could be an issue if one gets left in... hmmm... "From all I hear, Otaku is a pretty weird fish. And by that, I mean he makes me look like a balanced individual. He could be doing all this just for kicks, definitely. That, or it couldbe some sort of 'field test', as you say," she nodded at Hellbroad with the last statement. "Thing is, guy likes super-strong schoolgirl robots, and I think he has a giant robot. The fact he's not shown up is the more worrying part. Supervillains gloat! That's a fact of existence. Supervillain equals gloatiness. I suppose we could try to draw his attention?"
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